Portugal beat Germany 2-1 to secure a spot in the 2025 European U17 Championship semi-finals | OneFootball

Portugal sealed a spot in the 2025 UEFA European U17 Championship semi-finals after a come from behind 2-1 victory against Germany.

The Equipa das Quinas had the better chances in Tirana but couldn’t make them count, falling behind in the 72nd minute when Lasse Isbruch curled the ball into the bottom corner.

Bino Maçães’ side equalised just four minutes later, Tomás Soares pouncing on a loose clearance and driving the ball into the net.

Germany went for broke with victory required to go through and were hit on the break in the 89th minute, Daniel Banjaqui surging forward and playing a 1-2 with Tomás Soares before netting the winning goal.

Portugal 2-1 Germany

Portugal showed no signs of nervousness in Tirana, Rafael Quintas releasing Mateus Mide who went close to teeing up Anísio Cabral. Romário Cunha saved an effort from Alexander Staff before the Equipa das Quinas got back on the front foot.

Mateus Mide forced a save from Marcello Trippel who then denied Steven Manuel from a tight angle. A long ball from Quintas sent Cabral clear, his cross too strong for Duarte Cunha.

Portugal had a great chance in added time after Cunha was taken down by Mussa Kaba on the edge of the box. Mide stepped up and saw his low free kicked turned past the post by Trippel.

The Equipa das Quinas maintained the pressure after the break, Mide firing straight at Trippel and Cabral unable to steer Cunha’s cross on target.

Both managers made substitutions in the 60th minute, Bino Maçães bringing on Yoan Pereira for Cunha and Marc-Patrick Meister replacing Jeremiah Mensah and Moritz Göttlicher with Lasse Isbruch and Keziah Oteng-Mensah.

Germany enjoyed their best spell of the game, Isbruch heading Nebe-Sirak Domnic’ cross wide and Lennart Karl firing over the bar. They took the lead in the 72nd following Mide’s failed clearance, Isbruch picking up the ball and curling it into the bottom corner.

Tomás Soares replaced Cabral three minutes later and equalised less than 60 seconds after being introduced. Bernardo Lima won a corner that fell to Mide on the right wing, he sent a cross into the box that Trippel punched straight to Soares, the substitute driving the ball through traffic and into the back of the net.

Maçães attempted to shut up shop by bringing on Ricardo Neto and Gil Neves for Steven Manuel and Mide. Daniel Banjaqui saw his shot blocked but would soon get another chance.

It came in the 89th minute after Germany overcommitted in attack and left themselves wide open. Banjaqui raced clear and found Soares who drew Trippel and unselfishly exchanged passes with the right-back who slotted the ball into an empty net.

Quotes

Bino Maçães: “There was a period in the game when Germany made us slow down a bit. They forced us to do that, which was something we didn’t want, and we ended up conceding a goal. We had a lot of people behind us, but no one in the penalty area.

“Our team reacted fantastically and that’s the spirit we want. And we’re going after more. We achieved our first objective, which was to reach the semi-finals, and now it’s always going to be tough: a coach’s heart suffers, but it’s always great when this happens.

“Firstly, this is a reward for our players for what we have done, the journey we have had so far. If we had stopped here, I don’t think it would have done justice to what they have been doing and growing. But we want more and now we will give everything in the semi-final.

“Fortunately, we have three days to recover, whereas in the group stage we only had two. The players are very tired because playing against France or Germany demands a lot from us. There is a lot of concentration and quality. Congratulations to my players for what they have done, but we have not won anything yet.

“I’m not thinking about the semi-finals yet, now I have a day to rest a little more. This is demanding for all of us but it’s great to win when you show this maturity and desire to win. We’re representing Portugal well.”

Tomás Soares: “It's a moment that I'll cherish for the rest of my life. Not everyone gets the chance to play in a European Championship and decide games like this. The team always helped me, I was always focused and active on the bench, we know that at any moment it could be our chance to try and change the game.

“That's what I tried to do. We've been doing well, confident, we're increasingly united. We try to do what the manager asks of us and we're getting good results. It's game by game, it's always been like that since we arrived here and our focus is on the semi-finals.”

Rafael Quintas: “This passage to the semi-finals is very important. We know the path of the previous generation of under-17s and we want to do more. We will continue working to achieve this.

“This legacy is a good pressure, we know what we are capable of. If we continue working, with humility, we will get there. It is a good pressure and we like to have it.”

Highlights